Green
by Zabbie Q
Summary: When Jillian is trapped inside a mad scientist's greenhouse, Slappy has a solution to get her free


"014 Green" This was loosely inspired by the _Give Yourself Goosebumps_ book, _You're Plant Food!_ I also was inspired by green light being calming in humans, but I tweaked it for drama. I suppose I could've done something with Monster Blood, but that felt too obvious.

* * *

"Make sure the knots on Doctor Messed-With-The-Wrong-Puppet are nice and tight, Mandy," Slappy instructed the teenager, giving their prisoner a cold look.

"You got it." Amanda Zinman nodded, tugging hard on the rope around the botanist's wrists and further binding him to the office chair.

The middle-aged man grunted behind his gag. He glared at them all as if determined not to show weakness in front of a pair of thirteen-year-old twins, a living puppet, and a skinny college girl. It was probably embarrassing enough for him to have been overpowered by the four of them inside his own office, but Slappy didn't stop to relish his humiliation. Right now he had business inside the doctor's private botanical gardens, which were filled to the brim with his unsettling plant experiments.

Slappy spun toward Katie, the other Zinman sister. "Squeaky, you grab as much weed killer as you can carry. Any of those zombie petunias come near the door, I want you to go full Rambo on them."

"Roger," Katie replied, squeaking a little from nerves, but Slappy knew his young friend could be a tiger in a tight corner. Katie held up the bottle of chemicals in her hand like a gun, turning toward the door. However, her round green eyes narrowed a little and shot toward the red-tint windows on the opposite wall.

"What about… What about Jillian?" she asked.

"I'll find her," he promised.

Slappy whirled toward the chair on the other side of the desk. Shards of the precious cherry glasses, destroyed in the struggle, riddled the area rug, but from what he had observed in the last three hours, anything red would help him now—like the crimson bandana the doctor had left on the seat. He grabbed the cloth, tucking it into his gray suit.

He pointed to the red windows, snapping his revolving head toward the three girls.

"Don't look into the greenhouse except through the windows," he instructed. "I found out these plant-happy doctors have been using special green light bulbs to make their victims calm while they experiment on them. Didn't want to drug them up before they fed them to their plants. But red makes you humans more agitated, so our buddy here has used red glass to keep himself immune."

"Like when he took Jillian," Amanda said darkly, and she tightened another rope on her sister's kidnapper. "He had those red goggles on when he pulled her into the truck."

"Precisely."

Slappy's remaining companion, the college girl, crossed the room to the door, blocking his path. Like the twins, she had green eyes and black hair, but her complexion was noticeably more tan.

"What about Sara?" she demanded, planting her hands on her hips. "What are we gonna do to save her?"

Slappy sneered at his former enemy. "You've made it crystal clear that you don't want my help, Amy."

He had never expected to meet her again; the last time he had seen her, she had been a twelve-year-old annoyance and one of the many children he had tried to enslave in his more evil days. Because of Amy and the other members of the Kramer clan, Slappy's head had been cracked open, and his soul had spent a few weeks inside a worm's body. When he had finally been restored at the hands of a different puppet enthusiast, Slappy had cursed the Kramer name but could only move on with his life until fate put him into the arms of Jillian Zinman, the girl who made him give up trying to enslave humans. However, an unplanned family reunion in the local hotel had led to the Zinmans and the Kramers hobnobbing — which in turn led to them getting into this botanical mess in the first place once the Kramer siblings recognized the ventriloquist's dummy in their cousin's possession. If Amy and Sara hadn't tried to steal Slappy from Jillian, then Jillian wouldn't have chased after her cousins, and she wouldn't have been on that street corner where the botanist had snatched her.

As far as Slappy was concerned, the Kramer sisters could get themselves out of this mess.

He gave Amy a mock salute, sidestepping like a crab. "So, if you'll excuse me," he said, "I have my own family to save."

Katie turned from the door she guarded. "C'mon, Slappy. She's our cousin—both Amy _and_ Sara," she reminded him.

"And if you ever marry Jillian, they'll be your cousins too," Amanda pointed out.

Amy started, gaping at the younger girls. "Say _what_?!"

Amanda gave her a calm look. "Oh, didn't we tell you? Slappy and Jillian started dating about a month after she turned eighteen."

Amy rounded on Slappy. "_You_?" she sputtered. "How did Uncle Vince and Aunt Daphne let _that_ happen?"

"Lo-o-ong story," Katie answered for him.

"And we've wasted enough time as it is," said Slappy. He gave Amy a tight smile. "Despite what you think of me, I have a family now, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep them. Including reform a tiny bit." He maneuvered around her legs, pushing toward the door. "Now, Cousin Amy, I'm off to find my girlfriend."

* * *

The greenhouse stretched out like an enclosed park, and between the tree branches pushing against the ceiling, sunlight shone through the verdant glass, illuminating the thick collection of plants and the bipedal mounds providing them sustenance. The smell of earth, leaves, and growth formula hung in the air, as thick as the blanket of humidity.

Slappy found Jillian by one of the stone garden walls, but he had to rifle through the matted vines, choking leaves, and the graminaceous tangles on several erstwhile-human test subjects before he spotted the faux emerald bracelet around her viridescent wrist. He pulled back the leaves around her thin, triangle face. Her white skin had changed with the rest of her body to a yellowish green, and the roots of her jet-black hair now resembled one of the fir-tree scented candles her mother brought out for Christmas.

He shook her firmly. "Jillian — babe, it's me. Wake up," he coaxed.

Her eyes fluttered open—naturally green, but the white area had taken on that same leafy color. Even the adorable flecks of hazel in her irises had vanished. She blinked at him tiredly, and recognition swam lazily across her torpid face.

"Slappy…" she slurred out. "So pretty… pretty green… just wanna sleep… five more minutes..." Her eyelids lowered again.

He prodded her and waved the red bandana in front of her eyes. "Focus, Jillian. C'mon."

Her gaze sharpened although she still looked exhausted. She looked from the bandana to his wooden face, and her demeanor grew more lucid.

She managed a smile. "Hey, sweetie."

"Hey yourself," he grinned, tapping her nose. "How do you feel?"

"Like I'm buried in mud," she groaned. "Why can't I move my arms?"

"You're a little 'tied up' at the moment, doll," he replied, glancing at the leaves and white blossoms.

She closed her eyes tight, struggling to think. "I remember… that weirdo put me on a table. Pumped green stuff into my arm. I wanted to scream, but the light was so nice..."

Slappy gripped her arm. "He'll pay, babe."

She raised her head as much as she could. Her eyes opened and immediately bulged at the foliage covering her. She jerked, trying to sit up, and her struggle switched to a frantic thrashing, forcing Slappy to give her another peek at the green to prevent her from slipping into outright hysteria.

When she settled down, he laid the bandana over her eyes. After a few moments she choked out a sob.

"What — What did he do to me?" she moaned.

"He messed with Slappy's lady, that's what," the dummy replied, lifting the cloth enough to let her see him.

Her green eyes darted about in panic — and then softened again. "Such a pretty color…"

"Jillian, focus," he urged, turning her chin to face him.

"Okay. Okay." She jerked her head, trying to shake off the cloth. "Do I—Do I look like a plant monster?"

"You look like a million bucks. Same amount of green anyway."

"Green!" she groaned, slumping her verdant head back into the dirt.

"Well, you wanted to go as She-Hulk for Halloween this year," he offered.

Beneath the cloth, she turned her face away. "You _would_ make a joke," she grumbled.

"Better than losing my head, doll," he replied. He crawled over her to the other side and raised the bandana to meet her gloomy gaze. He ran his free hand through her black hair, untangling the leaves from her head.

"You make green look so good though," he said. "I think it's my new favorite color."

A brief smile appeared and faded. "Why am I green?"

"Dr. Sicko wanted something for his parasitic plants to munch on. They like humans pumped with some genetically altered chlorophyll, which makes you part of their garden. Audrey II would get a kick out of this place."

"Ugh!" She tried to raise her arms, but the tangles kept her down—and then the dopey, content expression returned. "Such a nice green…"

Slappy sighed and covered her eyes until she could regain control. While Jillian took shaking, anguished breaths, Slappy focused on unearthing her limbs from the mutant leaves. However, the vines twisted together like a blanket, and so many had taken root into her tender flesh. As much as he tried to be gentle, Jillian cried out like a child getting her tangled hair thoroughly brushed.

"What _is_ this stuff?" she demanded through clenched teeth. A sob thickened her voice.

"Some kind of mutant mistletoe hybrid, that doc said."

"Mistletoe," she murmured.

"I didn't know it was normally a parasite," he said, trying to sound cheerful for her sake. "Did you?"

She shook her head. Then once Slappy managed to free one arm, she raised the bandana up just enough to peek at him. Tears glistened in her exposed green eye, but she managed to give him a watery grin, showing her formerly white teeth.

"Aren't you gonna make a kissing joke about mistletoe?" she asked weakly.

He brought his head closer, dabbing her wet face with a corner of the red cloth. "Hey, when you get the luxury of kissing Slappy himself, it's _no_ joke, lady."

She giggled a little, looking into the bandana to break eye contact. Her cheeks flushed to the color of an evergreen. She sniffed and pinched her nose.

"What happens now?" she murmured.

"Once we get you out of this plant buffet, we still have to uproot you."

"Uproot?" She trembled hard enough to make the leaves covering her shake. "I'm really, _really_ a plant?" she asked hoarsely. "Really?"

"Appears so."

"And…" She swallowed. "...how long can I survive without being in the ground?"

"Good question." He reached into the mistletoe leaves and squeezed her arm. "Fortunately, your Slappy always has a Plan B."

A ray of hope overtook her. "You can turn me back?"

He shook his head. "Doc said there's no way to reverse it, but you know I don't like people telling me I can't have what I want."

"You've always been the stubborn type," she agreed.

"And you love me for it."

A much sweeter smile appeared. "_Can_ you reverse it?" she pressed. "With — With your magic?"

He shook his head again, and the hope vanished from her face. However, he held up a finger as her eyes glistened again.

"But," he said, taking her hand as she choked out a sob, "since you're a plant now anyway…"

He shifted himself until he propped his other hand beside her head, hovering over her so that he could look directly into her eyes. "What if I tweaked your DNA a little, babe?"

She sniffed. "How?"

He gave her a disarming look. "Ever wondered what it'd be like to be made of wood?"

She gave a hollow laugh. "Like a tree? Because my middle name is Daphne—?"

"Like a puppet, dummy," he cut her off. Then he raised his eyebrows. "Although I wish I had remembered that. The joke would've been perfect."

She grimaced. "A puppet," she repeated flatly.

"Why not?" he countered, pulling off another leaf from her head. "It has to be better than lying here until these mutant roots finish eating you up."

She shifted her hips beneath the mistletoe and closed her eyes again. "There's no other way?"

"None that I can think of."

"Ugh."

"You'll get used to it, doll," he promised her. "Just think of the look on that creepy doctor's face when you come striding into his office with me. He left you for dead, Jillian. Do you want him to get away with what he did?"

To his delight, her green jaw clenched. "No."

He nodded eagerly. Better for her to rage than weep.

"We got him tied up, doll. Don't you want to give him a piece of your mind?"

"Definitely."

"And after we're done here," he said, threading his wooden fingers with her stem-like ones, "we'll go home to your mama. And you'll have a remarkable instructor to teach you the finer points of puppet life. Can you trust me?"

She was quiet for a moment, the weight of her future evident on her face. Then she raised her head, furrowing her brow.

"How are you gonna change me?"

"Remember a few years ago when that smelly Horror named Byron came poking around asking me to go to that theme park?"

She nodded. "Yeah, HorrorLand. But you refused."

Slappy snickered. "Yes, I did. But he tried to tempt me with a spell for turning humans into puppets. He only let me look at it for a moment, but you know I never forget a word once I read it."

"That's true." She thinned her lips, mulling it over.

He ran a finger over her green cheek. "Besides, didn't I make it clear a long time ago that I'm not just dating you, but _courting_ you?" He tapped her lips gently. "I've always intended to claim you once you'd let me. I would've been happy with you as a human, but you'll make a beautiful doll."

She flushed again, and he kissed her face. She turned her head to nuzzle against him despite her anxiety, and he stroked her hair.

She sighed. "I just wished I had a little more choice in all this. Not just doing it to avoid death."

"We'll make the man who hurt you pay, Jillian. Reformed or not, I can promise you that."

"I know, sweetie," she said gratefully. She closed her eyes once more and finally nodded. "All right. Do it."

* * *

He completed the transfiguration in less than a minute. Once her flesh ossified, Jillian plucked the mistletoe from her shrunken limbs without even a wince. Her muddy emerald T-shirt hung low enough on her to be a dress, and Slappy helped her tie the bandana around her waist like a belt. They left the rest of her clothes in the plant bed, and Slappy kept a tight hold on his lady as she stepped on her new legs back toward the office.

"I think it looks cute, but if you hate the green, we'll get Daddy to buy some paint to fix ya up, doll," he suggested.

"Good. I look like the Jolly Green Midget," she cracked. She twisted her head side to side, examining herself with a woeful look. Then she forced a smile in a way which said she was trying to ignore the temptation to scream. "But I guess it could... _grow_ on me."

Slappy smirked playfully at her, encouraging her with a squeeze on her arm. "All the other girls will be _green_ with envy, babe."

She raised her virid eyes to smile at him. "Plant jokes just _sprout_ from you, don't they?"

"You're a _blossoming_ comedian yourself, my flower."

She bumped against him, affectionate. "Let's make like a tree before these jokes get real sappy."

"Agreed — Jillian _Daphne_ Zinman."

Despite the roll of her eyes, a snort escaped her. Then her expression softened.

"Thanks for saving me, sweetie." She leaned over and pursed her wooden lips against his cheek. She pulled back and touched her mouth. "Glad these things still work," she quipped.

"And you'll have plenty of opportunities to practice with them when we get home — I can promise that."

She giggled a little, looking away.

Slappy looped an arm around her muddy waist. "Now, we can collect your sisters and your ever-so-delightful cousin. And we probably need to rescue Sara next."

She spun back to him. "Wait, _my_ Sara?" she demanded. "Sara Kramer?"

Slappy nodded. "Yep. She got taken too. Amy's here with me and the twins."

Jillian pushed herself out of his embrace, and her eyes sharpened. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?!" she cried. "We're wasting time!"

She grabbed his wrist, and her unsteady steps became stronger as she dragged him back toward the office—where her sisters and Amy Kramer gawked at them through the red windows.

THE END

* * *

What do you think? Yea or nay?

I've been wanting to try something out with Jillian and Amy being cousins given that they both have green eyes and black hair. Maybe someday I can do something more in-depth than a writing prompt. :)

If you a suggestion for which of the 100 fanart challenge topic I should try next, let me know in your comments. (The ones in bold have been done or being worked on.)

001 Beginnings. 002 Middles. 003 Ends. 004 Insides. 005 Outsides. 006 Hours. 007 Days. 008 Weeks. 009 Months. 010 Years.

011 Red. 012 Orange. 013 Yellow. **014 Green.** 015 Blue. **016 Purple.** 017 Brown. 018 Black. 019 White. 020 Colourless.

021 Friends. 022 Enemies. 023 Lovers. 024 Family. 025 Strangers. 026 Teammates. 027 Parents. 028 Children. 029 Birth. 030 Death.

031 Sunrise. 032 Sunset. 033 Too Much. 034 Not Enough. 035 Sixth Sense. 036 Smell. 037 Sound. 038 Touch. 039 Taste. 040 Sight.

041 Shapes. 042 Triangle. **043 Square.** 044 Circle. 045 Moon. 046 Star. 047 Heart. 048 Diamond. 049 Club. 050 Spade.

051 Water. 052 Fire. 053 Earth. **054 Air.** 055 Spirit. **056 Breakfast.** **057 Lunch.** **058 Dinner.** 059 Food. 060 Drink.

061 Winter. 062 Spring. 063 Summer. 064 Fall. 065 Passing. **066 Rain.** 067 Snow. 068 Lightning. 069 Thunder. 070 Storm.

071 Broken. **072 Fixed.** 073 Light. 074 Dark. 075 Shade. 076 Who? 077 What? 078 Where? 079 When? 080 Why?

081 How? **082 If.** 083 And. 084 He. 085 She. **086 Choices.** 087 Life. 088 School. 089 Work. 090 Home.

091 Birthday. 092 Christmas. 093 Thanksgiving. 094 Independence. 095 New Year. 096—100 Artist's Choice.


End file.
